我用3D打印改變世界

1）Exceptional. 2）Awe-inspiring. These are just some of the 3）adjectives that have been used to describe Easton LaChappelle， a 19-year-old Colorado teenager whose 4）determination may change the world of 5）robotics and 6）prosthetics for the better.

When LaChappelle was just 14， he made his first robotic hand. He didn’t have proper 7）equipment， so he used LEGOs and 8）fishing wire. He didn’t have a lab， so he built his creation in his bedroom.

Later， at the 2011 Colorado state 9）science fair， LaChappelle’s robotic hand earned him third place. But something perhaps even more important happened at that event， forever changing the teen’s life.

In the first episode of Uproxx’s注 10）Luminaries， a

11）documentary 12）series about extraordinary people in the fields of science and technology， LaChappelle describes an unforgettable meeting with a seven-yearold girl at the fair.

“She had a prosthetic 13）limb，” he said. “It had one motion—open， close—and one 14）sensor， and just this alone was $80，000.”

Surprised by how expensive it was， LaChappelle says that he saw in this an opportunity for real change. He was determined to invent a prosthetic that was under $1，000.

He quickly got to work.

Today， LaChappelle runs his own robotics 15）startup. Using 3D printing technology， he’s developed a 16）functional prosthetic arm and hand that people can afford.

According to Uproxx， the average prosthetic limb on the market costs about $60，000. LaChappelle’s 17）prototype costs just $350 to produce， and he announced last month it will be made 18）open source—which means that the design can be downloaded by anyone online， totally free of charge.

“No one person can change the world，”LaChappelle says in the video. “It takes 19）multiple people， so if I can develop technology in a way so other people can take what I’ve done and grow from it and do something more with it， someone could take that and keep 20）impacting someone else’s life and 21）eventually try and rule out a lot of the bad in the world by giving back to our own kind.”

What an 22）inspiration.

杰出，令人贊嘆—這些只是曾經(jīng)用來描述伊斯頓·拉切貝爾的其中幾個形容詞。這位來自（美國）科羅拉多州的19歲小伙子的決心也許能令機器人技術(shù)和（假肢）彌補術(shù)向著更好的方向發(fā)展。

只有14歲的時候，拉切貝爾就制造出他的第一個機械臂。他沒有合適的設(shè)備，于是只能用樂高積木和牽引線；他沒有實驗室，所以就在臥室進行他的創(chuàng)作。

后來，在2011年科羅拉多州的科學(xué)展上，拉切貝爾的機械臂贏得了第三名。然而在那次科學(xué)展中，一件也許更為重要的事情發(fā)生了，從此改變了這位少年的人生。

在Uproxx網(wǎng)站播出的介紹科技界杰出人物的系列紀錄片《杰出人物》第一集中，拉切貝爾說他在科學(xué)展上遇見了一個7歲的女孩，這次相遇令他很難忘。

“她裝有一個假肢，”他說?！八荒茏鲆粋€動作—開合，只有一個傳感器，那就要花上8萬美元。”

假肢的高昂價格令拉切貝爾感到非常震驚，他說他從這里看到了真正改變世界的機會。他決心發(fā)明一個價格低于1千美元的假肢。

他很快就著手工作。

現(xiàn)在，拉切貝爾經(jīng)營著自己新創(chuàng)辦的機器人公司。運用3D打印技術(shù)，他開發(fā)了一個人們負擔(dān)得起的實用假肢手臂和手。

Uproxx網(wǎng)站稱，市場上的假肢平均售價大約為6萬美元。拉切貝爾的樣板只要350美元成本。而就在上個月，他宣布將會開放假肢技術(shù)的源代碼—這就意味著設(shè)計（方案）可以在網(wǎng)上被任何人下載，完全免費。

“沒有任何個人能夠改變世界，”拉切貝爾在視頻中說道?！斑@需要很多人的努力?！?br>